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When my wife is cooking, she likes to ask, “Why can’t I just put everything in the pot at the same time?” Sometimes you can and sometimes you can’t. This classic French dish is one of the times you can.

Beef Bourguignon was literally the first recipe I ever attempted. Living on my own, before I ever went to cooking school, I had no idea why I was supposed to separately sauté the mushrooms and bacon, why it mattered if I browned the beef. I had to call a grownup to ask what a shallot was.

And though following the recipe nearly broke my teenaged brain, the dish that came out of the oven gave me the confidence that I could, with proper instruction, cook. Frying the ingredients separately allows you get the bacon crispy. It boosts the beef flavour with the maillard reaction of hot metal on protein. However, little of it is noticeable by the time the dish is done braising. And none of it — learning about deglazing, patting the beef dry, wasting an expensive bottle of Burgundy wine — is necessary to achieve the rich flavour of this classic.

The joy of a Beef Bourguignon comes from slow cooking a tough cut of meat in liquid and mingling it with a collection of earthy flavours until the liquid transforms from soupy, to saucy, to nearly syrup. You only need good bread to complete the meal.

Beef Bourguignon

By Corey Mintz

BeefBourguignon

Recipe Hack: Beef Bourguignon Made Simple

unsalted butter

mushrooms (any kind), roughly chopped

carrot,

garlic,

shallots

bacon, diced

beef

tbsp flour

dry red wine

beef stock

Recipe hack: Beef Bourguignon made simple

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Snowballs, for me, are the quintessential Christmas drink. When I lived in the U.K., this cocktail was only ever made during the holidays, so it feels eminently festive. Thought to be invented in the 1940s, it became popular in 1970s Britain. Some modern versions combine advocaat — a Dutch egg-based liqueur — and a carbonated U.K.-style of lemonade (a lemon-lime soda like Sprite is often used), and it’s commonly garnished with a glacé (candied) cherry. With its&nbsp;sweet mix of ingredients, this drink can sometimes be presented without balance, lacking acidity. Here I give you a from-scratch recipe that restores the dated holiday tipple to its classy libation status — using homemade maraschino-style cherries, which are far less sugary, and a recipe for advocaat that’s less sweet than some too.&nbsp;

Classic Snowball Cocktail

You’ll be left with enough cherries and advocaat to make eight to 10 cocktails. The advocaat will keep, refrigerated, for about a week (see the safety note below), and the cherries for months in the fridge.

The cherries will take one week to macerate, so start by preparing them ahead. If you don’t have time or aren’t able to get fresh cherries, you can buy plenty of good quality cocktail cherries these days and use those. You can also substitute your favourite spirit for macerating the cherries: if you don’t have Luxardo, bourbon, rum or brandy all work really well.&nbsp;

Safety note: This recipe contains eggs that are only lightly cooked, which can be risky for young children, pregnant women, the elderly or those with&nbsp;compromised immune systems. So even if omitting the alcohol, this recipe would not be recommended for those people.

snowball cocktail

How To Make A Classic Snowball Cocktail

sour cherries (sweet cherries will work too)

(approx.) Luxardo Maraschino Originale liqueur

/ 160 g sugar

salt

brandy

tsp vanilla extract

cinnamon

60 ml advocaat

lime

/ 90 ml sparkling lemonade, limonata or Sprite

cherries

How to make a classic Snowball cocktail

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In early spring, there are plenty of delicious mangoes to be found in and around Toronto markets and other parts of the country — the optimal time for this recipe: Chaunsas from Pakistan, Ataulfo from Mexico and Alphonos from India.. take your pick!

This sweet, tangy, salty, spicy fruit salad is a nourishing way to <a href="http://cbc.ca/1.5120599" target="_blank">break your fast after a long 16 hour day</a>. It is reminiscent of food stalls all over the Indian subcontinent, where seasonal fruit is chopped and tossed in a spice mix, right before your eyes, before the vendor drizzles it with tart syrup and hands it to you in a bowl.

Sarosh’s Mango Chaat

The dressing can be prepared a day ahead, and stored in the refrigerator. The chickpeas, mango and pomegranate arils can be prepared a day ahead too, and stored in separate containers, undressed, in the refrigerator.

mango chaat

Sarosh's Mango Chaat

lemon juice

brown sugar

sea salt

⅛ – ¼ tsp red chili pepper powder

chickpeas, drained, liquid discarded

mango

pomegranate arils

shallot

mint leaves, julienned

mint leaves, left whole,

Creamy and delicately crunchy, crowned with swirls of olive oil, dip your bread or crackers into this to break your Ramadan fast at the end of a long day. In our home, we like to enjoy this mast-o khiar scooped up with salty potato chips.

Mast-o&nbsp;Khiar

Make ahead: You can grate the cucumber a day in advance and store in the refrigerator.

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